


Loved

by lymerikk



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Bullying, Hurt/Comfort, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Other, Slurs, WAH, lgbtqia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 14:43:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2392133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lymerikk/pseuds/lymerikk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ludwig is the newest dork at W. Academy, and Feliciano is already smitten. GerIta with a twist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loved

Ludwig was new to W. Academy. He knew no one - excepting his brother who moved here a year before he did. And honestly, in Feliciano's eyes, he was the biggest dork ever. The German boy would often knock things over or try to open the wrong locker – it was clear he needed glasses - and sometimes he would just drop his pencil in despair because he'd spelled an English word wrong. He was just so big and clumsy and  _perfect_.

"Why'd you cut all your hair off, Felicia? It was so pretty!"

A call echoed through the corridor. Feliciano walked faster, not answering, just giving a weak smile. That wasn't his name.

"Why aren't you wearing the  _girls_ ' uniform?" Came another holler.

The Italian felt himself walking even faster, so fast to the point that he wasn't watching where he was going, and he bumped into the new kid. And, as expected, Ludwig's things scattered all over the floor.

" _Schifo_ , I'm sorry-!" Feliciano squeaked, taking a frightened step back.

" _Nein_ , it is fine." The German murmured embarrassedly, crouching and lamely starting to gather up his papers and books that he'd been carrying.

Feliciano lamely helped him, frowning. "I really didn't mean to, I was just in a rush, and I just- please don't hurt me," he mumbled quickly, high-pitched voice heavy with fear.

"Why would I hurt you?" Ludwig mumbled, deep tones slightly distorted by his braces. "You just knocked my things over, I drop things all the time.." He trailed off, scratching at the back of his neck with stocky fingers.

"Right," Feliciano laughed meekly, shrugging and standing up once Ludwig had gathered up his books. "So, what class do you have after lunchtime?" Thankfully, the break had just started. The Italian boy had not a single friend that he could sit with at lunch, and his sister didn't really want to sit with him anymore. Lovina had taken romantic interest in that Fernandez boy, anyway.

Ludwig and Feliciano traveled back up the corridor, the pair stopping at Ludwig's locker so that he could stow his books and such inside. "My Friday timetable says Home Economics.." He mumbled, slicking his flaxen hair back with one large hand.

"Looks like we're in the same class!" Feliciano beamed, hoping that he and the German could end up being friends. They had conversed briefly in the past, but that was only basic and awkward small talk. Not too many people talked to Feliciano.

Together, they went to the cafeteria and got themselves a tray of lunch each. Feliciano's pallet was considerably more fancy that Ludwig's, as the former picked out an exquisite looking pasta dish, whereas the latter just took some kind of meatloaf with mashed potato on the side.

"Do you like pasta, Ludwig?" asked the Italian, giving a little smile on his soft lips. "Because I love pasta." He chuckled, sucking up a noodle from around his fork.

"I can see that. Pasta is nice, I guess. I haven't had much." The other replied, spooning potato into his mouth.

The lunch break passed before too long, the two students introducing themselves properly, as Feliciano Vargas of Class 11B, and Ludwig Beilschmidt of Class 11E. And so, the two sixteen year-olds headed off to their Home Economics room.

The teacher was a cheery woman, Feliciano knew her as French due to her accent and attitudes. As they entered the classroom – one that was connected to a class kitchen – they were instructed of today's lesson. They were to make a simple meal out of the ingredients provided; these ingredients were spread out on a table to the students to use.

It took Feliciano a mere minute to figure something out that he could make, but Ludwig was more puzzled. The other students had gotten to the potatoes before he could, and without potatoes, the boy was practically lost, cooking-wise. He did manage to nab some sausages, though.

"Ludwig, over here!" The Italian hollered, patting the bench that he'd managed to grab before anyone else. Feliciano had managed to take some dry pasta and spices, and he was grinning at his classmate as he came closer. "We should work together!"

Before they could start on their dishes, Miss Bonnefoy, their teacher, called the roll. Ludwig answered when his name was called, but as the last few on the roll were called for attendance, Feliciano cringed.

"Felicia?" The teacher hummed, glancing around the class. "Felicia Vargas?" As Feliciano refused to answer, another classmate deemed it appropriate to chime in with a 'she's there, Miss', and then point to him.

"I thought your name was Feliciano." Ludwig mused softly, turning to the shorter boy beside him.

"It is; this class is just dumb." He mumbled, letting out a quiet laugh. "Anyway, cooking! I know a neat little recipe we can do with what we have here! And I managed to grab some potatoes, considering how much you loved eating them at break." He was a little desperate to make friends at this point, so maybe if he could get close to the cute guy, he could finally have someone to talk to.

Under Feliciano's instruction, they spiked bits of cut sausage with dry spaghetti, and then put them in boiling water to cook. Now, with Ludwig's lead, they put together a kind of baked potato dish, topped with the spices that the Italian had managed to nab.

The end of the lesson drew around rather quickly, and they handed over the pasta-threaded sausage and potato on a plate to the teacher for marking. With this, they managed to score an A-, which was good, considering Miss Bonnefoy's tough marking.

The bell sounded, and the students were dismissed for second break. "C'mon, Ludwig, let's go eat this together outside." Feliciano hummed, swinging his arms a little as he stepped forward and out of the classroom. Giving a sigh and a little smile, the German boy lifted the plate and carried it out after his friend.

They settled down, backs against a large tree, with the grass around them flicking gently in the breeze. "That was fun," The brunet purred, flashing a beaming grin before taking a test bite of the meal they'd put together. The smile on his face made Ludwig smile a little too.

"Certainly was." The other said softly, picking up one of the still-warm potatoes.

Finishing up with eating, the two let out content sighs. It was comfortable just to rest now. Ludwig's pastel blue eyes couldn't help but snag on a little something just to the side of Feliciano's mouth. "You have a bit of spice or something there," he pointed out quietly, feeling awkward about it.

"Oh? Right, thanks, I'm a messy eater sometimes," the other chuckled, lifting his sleeve and wiping at his mouth. "Did I get it?"

" _Ja_ , you got it." Ludwig mused delicately, shrugging his wide shoulders.

The next fifteen minutes was a comfortable silence; the pair were just enjoying being in the company of one another. Even if no words were spoken, it was pleasurable. But the German broke the silence.

"Feliciano?.. Do you, erm-.." He trailed off, slicking back the few strands of hair that had fallen forward.

The Italian raised a brow. "Do I what? Ask away, Ludwig!" beamed he, smiling brightly.

"Do you like anyone?" Ludwig asked in a burst, covering his mouth with one hand as if he hadn't wanted that to slip out. It was such a childish question, and he felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

"Oh? Well, I like you, and I don't really have any other friends.. I like my sister, when she's not all grumpy and mean." Feliciano shrugged. Ludwig could've screamed.

"No, that's not what I meant." He murmured, features firm. "You know.."

The Italian's face dropped. "I think I understand what you're asking," he laughed quietly. "To be honest, I've been crushing on you since I first saw you." Feliciano shrugged, glancing away with slightly pink cheeks.

Ludwig felt his heart tighten in his chest. "Then.. Is it okay if I kiss you?" He stammered, glancing away. The other was caught off guard by this, but gave a little smile.

"If you want to," he spoke softly, leaning in a touch closer.

As this was to be the German's first kiss, he was very worried. He leant in, almost shaking with nervousness. His blurry vision caused him to miss the first time, and he just turned his head a touch in embarrassment. But, on the second attempt, their lips met. The kiss was short, although sweet.

They pulled away, both verily flushed and glancing to the sides. "You're one of the cutest girls I've ever seen," Ludwig admitted affectionately, not seeing Feliciano's face fall.

"I'm a boy, you know." The Italian murmured, hugging his knees to his chest and peering back towards the school building. It would be time for class soon enough. Next up was English, and he knew that he didn't share core classes with the German.

"Oh," murmured Ludwig, feeling his humiliation just increase. "Sorry.. I just thought, with roll-marking earlier-."

"It's fine. Common mistake." The Italian interjected quietly, rubbing at his arm with the opposite hand. "We should head inside, right?" He chuckled faintly, hopping up to his feet. "You take the paper plate."

English class was quiet and boring, not much different than usual. Feliciano got his work done, but something else was nagging at his mind. That kiss with Ludwig and that little moment of confusion between the two were the main troubles. And he couldn't shake the thoughts filling his mind.

The next period, his timetable read for Art. Something he was good at and enjoyed would hopefully clear his head. As it wasn't a core class, he wondered if he'd be seeing his German  _amico_  in this class. Apparently so, as the bulky boy joined the line, evidently having run to the art classroom.

They entered the room, neither of the pair having anything to say. It was gauche and uncomfortable, this silence; very much unlike back at the tree. This class was easy, for today they were just told to do some sketches and play with shading. Feliciano was a natural. Very much the opposite was true for Ludwig. His 'artwork' was consistent of shaky lines and shading that didn't make sense.

As he turned to speak to Feliciano, the other just held his hand on Ludwig's, and aided him in drawing one of the lines in his work.

"You need to draw the strokes fast, but as steady as possible." He instructed softly, glancing up and giving a modest smile.

No more words were exchanged throughout the class, as Ludwig was too uneasy, and Feliciano just had nothing to say. They packed up their sketchbooks and left, returning to their appropriate lockers. The last bell had rung, and it was about time for them to go home for the day.

Ludwig and Feliciano met again at the end of the corridor, Feliciano extending his hand for the other to take. The German just gave it a bit of a confused stare, before hesitantly taking it and blushing greatly.

"I'm really sorry about earlier, I can tell now that it's a sensitive subject.." He stammered, glaring down at the ground.

"You're sorry, and that's all that matters. The other purred quietly, pushing open the door at the end of the hall and stepping outside with his friend. "Thanks for apologising though, Ludwig."

Feliciano walked Ludwig home, as the boy lived closer to the school than he did. As they reached his door, Feliciano's hand dropped from his, and he stood on tiptoes to give the other a peck on the cheek. "Maybe we should go grab a coffee tomorrow?" Without much more to say or do, Ludwig followed what his favourite rom-com protagonist would do, and he scrawled down his phone number on a scrap of paper, handing it over.

* * *

The next morning, Feliciano made the call to Ludwig, and invited him out to the nearby coffee shop; this was the one he knew was run by two brothers, one of which was in his last year at their high school. They would seem like twins if one didn't know better, actually.

" _Buon giorno_!" The boy hummed, beaming brightly at Ludwig as he arrived.

"I don't know a word of Italian, but I assume that means 'hello'?" mused the German, giving a small smile of his own. "In that case,  _guten tag_."

"Heh, well, let's go inside."

They entered the building, bought coffees, and chatted, exchanging little smiles here and there. It was a pleasant atmosphere, and the date passed well.

"You make me happy, Ludwig." Feliciano said softly as they left the store, fingers intertwined with the German's. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?" The question was simple, yet it took Ludwig a few moments to take it to mind and answer.

"I-.. Feliciano-" he stammered, cheeks as red as cherries. "Yes," Ludwig managed to utter, glancing away.

"Really? This is great," he hummed, pulling the other into a loose embrace. "I like you a lot,  _bello_." Feliciano cooed, just leaning in Ludwig's bulky arms.

"Hearing that makes me happy," murmured the German, lamely running his fingers through the other's auburn hair.

The days passed on without much more trouble; the two grew considerably closer, taking advances when they both found it comfortable. Feliciano subtly kept kisses between them just that, subtle, but tried to share them as often as he could. He even managed to convince Ludwig to buy glasses at some point; it made a giant difference in his sight once he'd gotten his eyes checked and spectacle'd up.

It was only a few days after Ludwig got his glasses that a looming cloud of trouble appeared above them.

"I need to go to the toilet," whined Feliciano, leaning against his desk. "Come with me, I don't wanna' go alone." He puffed, pawing at Ludwig's sleeve.

"I don't really think that kind of stuff is something you'd need my help with, but I'll come." Ludwig sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and standing up from their table at the cafeteria. They stood, and headed off into the hall to then continue to the toilets.

Feliciano hesitated for a moment at the doors, Ludwig turning with a faint smile as he hovered in front of the door to the boys' toilets. "Have you decided you no longer need to go?" He queried, dipping his head slightly.

"No, that's not it. Let's just go." He puffed, firmly pushing the door open and taking a step inside.

He managed to get a few steps in before a boy inside noticed his presence and turned, a horrified look on his face.

"Felicia?! What the hell are you doing in here-" He exclaimed from at the sink where he'd been washing his hands. Ludwig furrowed his brow.

" _Feliciano_  is in here to do his business like any other one of you." He stated gruffly, glancing to the side as his boyfriend ducked into one of the stalls. From inside, Feliciano just got what he had to do done, and went to open the stall door. But he hesitated. He'd zoned out from the conversation echoing through the room, which was a mistake.

There was a sickening crack from outside the stall, and Feliciano froze in terror. A grunt could be heard, and this just frightened him more. Meekly, he unlocked and pushed open the door a smidgeon. In the main section of the toilets, Ludwig had just received an elbow to the chest. Also, considering the reddening mark on the German's cheek, Feliciano assumed that the first crack he'd heard was a fist meeting that flesh.

Around Ludwig stood a few of the boys that had already been in here when they entered. What horrified Feliciano the most was that those boys were giving both verbal and physical abuse to his boyfriend.

"Ludwi-" He shrieked, distressed and worried as he peeked out from the stall door a little more. The German didn't even turn, just tensed his shoulders.

"Feliciano, get back in the stall." He instructed, taking a lame step back as he was punched in the gut. Despite his stature, he was quite weak, and it didn't take much to wind him. Feliciano did as he was told, locking the door, putting down the toilet lid, and then sitting on it. He hugged his knees to his chest.

"What the hell's your problem, bringing a chick into the boys' bathrooms?" One of the boys hollered, voice snide.

"I didn't bring a girl, I brought Feliciano." Ludwig insisted, earning a shove to one of his shoulders.

Another boy sneered, snatching the glasses from the German's face. "You obviously need new ones of these, since these are obviously broken, 'cos you took  _Felicia_  to the wrong bathroom!" There was a dropping noise, and the sound of breaking glass.

"You didn't see her last year? Her hair was down to her ass, and she wore makeup all the time!" The exclamation made Feliciano cringe. Not only was it crude and inconsiderate, it made him irritated with that memory.

"That doesn't matter." Ludwig murmured, just blurrily staring down at his now-broken glasses on the linoleum bathroom floor. Although he hadn't even known of Feliciano's existence a year ago, what the other boys were saying had him frustrated. They were pretty stupid. He earned himself a boot to the shin and a verbal insult for that.

Feliciano wasn't going to take this for much longer, and he burst out of the stall. His fear was put away for now; he just needed to get out. "Ludwig-" he croaked, tones bordering on desperate. The boy understood and turned, almost tripping due to his recently kicked leg. He managed to move to Feliciano with haste, the pair taking one another's hand and heading toward the door. A call of 'yeah, you run away with your girlfriend!' was cut off as they closed the door behind them.

He wasn't quite sure when he'd started crying, but Feliciano sloppily tried to wipe the tears from his eyes as he ran down the corridor with Ludwig. Together, they sped out of the school building, and reached the tree they'd eaten under that one time.

"I'm so sorry," the Italian whimpered as Ludwig held him tight, the two of them leaning against the tree. "I can't even stand up for myself, I-"

"Don't be. I was just protecting you like a boyfriend should." Ludwig stated softly, wiping a dribble of blood from his mouth.

They sat there for a while, not caring that they were now missing class. Every time Feliciano went to apologise again, Ludwig would kiss him, ruffle his hair, and tell him it was okay. Slowly, Feliciano quietened down, just burying his face in the warmth of his boyfriend's chest. He was careful not to lean on a part that had been attacked earlier. They had escaped all those issues for now, and they felt a lot better just out here relaxing in the arms of one another.

"Ludwig.. Around you, I feel so cherished," hummed Feliciano, glancing up for a moment and flashing an endearing smile. "I can't say anyone else has ever made the effort to care for me like you do."

Ludwig dipped his head, smiling as he pecked the top of the Italian's head. "That feeling is shared. And I-.. I love you, Feliciano. I'll keep caring for you and protecting you and keeping you safe." He closed his eyes – one of which was bruising black. "I promise."


End file.
